Research in Global Child Advocacy

Sponsored by the Research in Global Child Advocacy SIG of the American Educational Research Association

This book series (a) suggests schoolbased applications of research in the area of child maltreatment, (b) explores activities to promote children's rights, (c) addresess policies to protect children, (d) describes multidisciplinary collaborative partnerships, and (e) investigates individual characteristics, systemic barriers, cultural beliefs, and societal trends that may be associated with violence, trauma, and abuse. Book topics will include childhood trauma, decision-making among sentinels, domestic violence, child maltreatment, cultural issues, family dynamics, brain development, violence and childhood development, Internet safety, child welfare, multicultural and global perspectives, and other areas.

Call for Book Chapters

Volume 6: Child Advocacy and Early Childhood Education Policies in the Caribbean

This volume will explore early childhood education policies and practices in the Caribbean. Early childhood development has gained increasing importance as part of national agendas to achieve social and economic goals. Regional guidelines and action plans have been developed, but progress across nations varies. Chapters in the book will analyze child policies and issues, critically examine progress on alignment between policies and practices, and propose recommendations for advocacy and implementation that may advance the early childhood development agenda throughout the Caribbean.

Submit your chapter by Microsoft Word email attachment by June 1, 2013 in order to be considered for inclusion in the book. See Author Guidelines at http://www.infoagepub.com/guidelines.html. Your chapter should be 25-40 pages in length and follow the chapter organizational format described below. Graphics and images may be included.

Submissions will be evaluated in the following categories: scholarship, significance, lucidity, originality, adherence to the theme, adherence to 6th edition APA style guidelines, and overall quality. Also note that upon acceptance of your manuscript, Information Age Publishing will require you to complete chapter agreement and publication agreement forms (available at http://www.infoagepub.com/authors.html).

Each book chapter will include the following components: Vignette
The vignette aims to provide an authentic example of an issue and its impact on young children in a real or hypothetical organization. It is often based on actual situations, which may be fictionalized to protect confidentiality. It is especially important for readers to clearly see the relevance and importance of the topic in reading the vignette. Therefore, in addition to the description of a specific problem, a vignette should include additional information necessary to place the scenario in context (such as questions of policy or procedure, issues relating to reporting relationships or hierarchies or financial or administrative concerns) which will be addressed in subsequent sections of the chapter where you will provide an analysis of possible solutions or actions arising from the situation.

Defining the Issue in the Caribbean
Context and importance of the problem The purpose of this section of the chapter is to identify and describe a current and urgent advocacy issue which requires action. The context and importance of the problem includes the following:
- A clear statement of the problem or issue in focus.
- An overview of the root causes of the problem
- A statement of the policy implications of the problem which clearly establishes the current importance and policy relevance of the issue.

Recommendations for Policy and Practice
The aim of the policy recommendations section is to guide early childhood educators and advocates regarding actions they might take in order to best help young children and their families.
- Describe current policies and recommendations for action with research-based evidence to support your ideas.
- A breakdown of the specific practical steps or measures that need to be implemented
- Include a closing paragraph re-emphasizing the importance of action and/or connecting this action back to the vignette

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR PUBLICATION
Submission of full book chapters: June 1, 2013
Reviews of book chapter manuscripts sent to author(s): Summer 2013
Receipt by editors of final draft of book chapters: December 20, 2013
Final book submitted to publisher: Spring 2014
Anticipated publication: Summer 2014

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